NEW SHOW: Last Man Standing

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last Man Standing is pretty funny in my opinion. Yes, it's a little sexist. Yes, the stories so far are a little convoluted. Yes, I understand that there are plenty of people bashing the shoe left and right. I thought that the first episode was great and the second was fairly good. What about you?

Tim Allen plays the father, Mike Baxter, who works for an Outdoor Store's Catalog department. He is married to Vanessa, and they have three daughters: Kristin (a waitress with a toddler son named Boyd), Mandy (age 17), and Eve (plays soccer). Not too much background has surfaced from the episodes so stay tuned for future plots and more information!

Last Man Standing "Pilot" (S01E01): Mike comes home with a gigantic fish from Alaska, where he just shot a catalog. His wife has been going to the same job for a year and has been offered a promotion, which will require longer hours. Mike is planning to head to Costa Rica in 10 days or so. Daughter Mandy is upset and wants Mom's "good" advice, not Dad's. [hahaha. I thought it was funny anyway.] What did she want advice about? Well, "Travis said that Glee is dumb," which made Mandy cry. [not a fan of Mandy...] The catalog is phasing out immediately, and the boss wants to put Mike on the website instead. But, Mike has bigger problems to worry about (in his eyes, anyway)... the daycare that Boyd is going to is more liberal than he thought, and he freaks out when he goes to drop him off... so he brings the baby with him and gives him to one of his workers, Kyle, to care for. Mike wants Kyle to date Mandy because he's a "manly man" and she's with a guy whom Mike considers girly. [the kid is getting mani/pedis....] Kristin gets upset that Mike took the baby to work. Mike says that the school was too hippy, and implies that it will make Boyd gay. [I let that one slip, but such things may end up being the end of me watching this show...] Eve is nervous about playing against the boys and tells her dad. He tells her to play aggressively, and that backfires when she injures a player.... though the guy later calls and asks her out for her first date. [guessing she's about 14?] Mike makes a bad video post and it goes up on the website. Kyle shows up at the house but meets Kristin, not Mandy. The mishap starts to surface, but Mike nips it in the bud. The episode ends with Kristin walking back into the house, knowing what happened with Mandy. [a few more facts about Kristin? She came home from the prom pregnant and went into labor during Avatar. okay, maybe they weren't that fun, LoL.]

Last Man Standing "Last Baby Proofing Standing" (S01E02): Mandy and boyfriend Travis are going to the mall and she wants money for coffee, which causes Mike to suggest that she get a part-time job. ["thank God you don't work for a plumber." haha!] Kristin (who seems to still be with Kyle, by the way) is worried about Boyd getting into things and wants to do some baby-proofing. [okay, glad she thought of that. slightly concerned that they seem to be behind on that...] Mike thinks he can do it himself and that they don't need to hire a professional... since he doesn't think that's a "real job." [funny, I thought.] Eve is emerging as Mike's favorite, and they already have a scheme going. Mandy is off to her first day of work at a clothing store in  the mall... and winds up having to ask her dad for $500 since she got shopping-happy with her employee discount. Well, Mandy loses her job and Mike gets her another one - in pizza delivery. It doesn't last long, though, as Mike doesn't like her driving and tells her she can find another job of her choosing. Oh, and Mike does another internet video that's harsh and strange. [is this going to be a thing? Because I'm not in love...]